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Houston to have surgery Thursday

TarHeelIllustrated.com has learned that senior running back Ryan Houston will need surgery for the injury he suffered in Saturday's Spring Game.
A UNC official confirmed the news Wednesday morning.
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"He (Houston) got hit on the shoulder and it was a little bit of a stinger," said UNC head coach Butch Davis immediately after the Spring Game.
"They (the UNC trainers) said, 'Give it five or ten minutes and he could probably come back (in the scrimmage),' and I said,' He doesn't need to. We've seen all of him that we need to see,'" Davis added.
It was a good thing that Houston didn't return, for further analysis revealed that the fifth-year back broke his scapula (shoulder blade) during the workout on Saturday.
It's an injury similar to the one suffered by former UNC running backs Anthony Elzy back in 2008 against Virginia, and Shaun Draughn in 2009 against Duke.
Houston will likely be out of commission for several weeks coming off surgery, which is scheduled for Thursday at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.
The extent of the damage to his shoulder blade will be determined in surgery.
It remains to be seen if this will limit him in any way for August's training camp, which is approximately four months away.
Houston is a three-year contributor for the Tar Heels, having played as a true freshman in 2007 and leading the team in rushing in 2009.
He wound up redshirting the 2010 season after missing the first five games of the season as part of the NCAA and University investigation.
Houston had two carries for 22 yards on Saturday---a healthy average of 11 yards per attempt.
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